Two separate Missouris showed up at the polls last Tuesday.

One was progressive. It approved medical marijuana, supported reforms on lobbying and redistricting, raised the state’s minimum wage and, in St. Louis County, imposed stricter limits on the power of the county executive and said yes to tax and bond issues for the Zoo and the Parkway School District.

The other Missouri showed much more conservative tendencies. They were most obvious in the victory by Attorney General Josh Hawley over incumbent U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, whose support in large urban areas was overwhelmed by a red wave across the rest of the state. 

Voters also said no to an increase in the gasoline tax, despite evidence that repairs to Missouri’s roads and bridges are long overdue. Confusion over just how the money would be used probably contributed to the defeat.

The apparent end to McCaskill’s long political career was no doubt influenced by the frequent stops by President Donald Trump in Missouri to stump for Hawley, including an election eve appearance in Cape Girardeau with conservative stalwarts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Hawley’s staunch support for Trump policies fit neatly with the president’s strong showing two years ago, and his overwhelming support outstate was no surprise, though McCaskill was undoubtedly disappointed at her inability to make inroads in GOP territory.

Now, only Auditor Nicole Galloway – who won a surprisingly narrow victory over Republican Saundra McDowell to earn her first full term – is Missouri’s only Democratic statewide officeholder. On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Parson named state Treasurer Eric Schmitt as the new attorney general. He will now have to appoint a new treasurer, meaning that four top state offices — governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and treasurer — will be held by people who were not elected to those posts.

With the GOP firmly in control of the General Assembly and all but one of the top offices in the state, what’s the outlook for issues like those that won on Tuesday? 

State Sen. Jill Schupp, a St. Louis County Democrat who easily won a second term while Republicans were showing strength elsewhere, emphasized in her campaign the ability to reach across the aisle and pass bills on key issues like jobs and healthcare. More efforts at such nonpartisan coalitions will help move Missouri forward, and with Parson as governor instead of Eric Greitens, improved collegiality seems possible.

As far as Hawley’s role in Washington, his claim that he won because he reflected the state’s values doesn’t jibe with the outcome of the propositions on medical marijuana, minimum wage and lobbying reform. The final two years of Trump’s term are likely to feature dramatic votes in Congress. Missourians should keep a close eye on where their new senator stands.

And with the changes in redistricting coming after the 2020 census, plus the new rules that will govern the how district lines are redrawn, Missouri’s dramatic shift of recent years from Democratic to Republican control could change once again. The state’s politics were long were considered a bellwether for the nation as a whole. It will be interesting to see whether the state regains that status as turbulent times continue.